Who won South Carolina in the 1948 presidential election?

Thurmond (States' Rights Democratic) carried South Carolina in 1948, winning its 8 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did South Carolina have in 1948?

South Carolina cast 8 electoral votes in the 1948 presidential election.

Did South Carolina vote for the national winner in 1948?

No. South Carolina backed Thurmond, while Harry S. Truman won the presidency nationally.

New Deal CoalitionSC · 8 EV

1948

South Carolina: Thurmond carries 8 EV.

South Carolina cast its 8 electoral votes for Thurmond (States' Rights Democratic). National winner: Harry S. Truman (Democratic) — South Carolina voted against the national winner this cycle.

What happened in South Carolina, 1948

In 1948, South Carolina awarded its 8 electoral votes to Thurmond of the States' Rights Democratic party. Nationally the result broke the other way — Harry S. Truman (Democratic) won the presidency, leaving South Carolina among the states he did not carry.

Thurmond's win closed out South Carolina's 17-election run of voting Democratic. It stood apart from its neighbors: Georgia and North Carolina went the other way that year. Across the 59 presidential elections South Carolina has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Democratic party (28 times). The vote fell within the New Deal Coalition — FDR, civil rights, and the long Democratic majority.

In the national count, Harry S. Truman took 303 of the 531 electoral votes, against Thomas E. Dewey's 189. Harry S. Truman led the national popular vote with 49.55% of the ballots cast.

The 1948 national map

South Carolina full history →